Request: To Katy White:  I am writing this essay given your interest in the issue of historic anti-Semitism by the Catholic Church. I request that this essay not be sent to anyone. My reasons are several: 1) Most of my non-Jewish friends are Catholic, and I do not want in any way to hurt those friendships. Specifically, my friends are not prejudiced. 2)  While I believe my statements are factual, I have not done research to write this draft. 3) Unlike Catholicism, Judaism has many leaders. In essence, Catholics find it difficult to negotiate with Jews on many issues because the Jewish faith does not have a single leader.

 

Introduction: The relationships between the Catholic Church and leaders of the Jewish community are today excellent. The Church has made monumental efforts to repair the historic damage. The comments by the late John Paul II that “Jews are our elder brothers” reflect the new ecumenical spirit. Unfortunately, until the Second Ecumenical Council in the early 1960’s the Catholic Church through the utterances of their hierarchy and anti-Semitic writings in religious texts led to widespread anti-Semitism. Over some 1000 years, many Jews died or lived in retched conditions in Ghettos because of Church Doctrine. Of course, there are extremists in both religions who try to exploit differences between these historic religions. Fortunately, they are a minority.

 

History: (circa 500 AD until 1960)

 

In the early days of Christianity, Jews and Christians lived harmoniously. Many Christians and Jews considered themselves as part of the same religious movement given that Jesus, Mary, and the early disciples were all Jewish. Only when St. Paul created a separate religion and codified distinctly different codes from Jewish tradition did antagonism develop. In essence, Paul in his desire to create a new religion encouraged the abandonment of the Old Testament doctrines—

1. Sabbath: Jews and Christians have different holy days during the week. The Jewish Sabbath begins at Sundown on Friday and ends on Sundown on Saturday.

2. The Christians developed a New Testament. This New Testament in essence stated that it was a new revelation. Thus, Jewish culinary laws, Holy Days, etc were abandoned by the Christians.

 

During the first few centuries after the Death of Jesus, Jews and Christians competed for converts among the Pagans. However, after Rome adopted Christianity as its official religion, Jews were forbidden from soliciting new converts. Jewish willingness to abide by this restriction against solicitation of non-Jews was probably the most important element in Christian countries allowing “Jews to even inhabit Christian countries.” As you know for hundreds of years, Catholics and Protestants fought to the death to make their beliefs universal. The Thirty Years War, over which almost one-third of Germans died, the killing of Protestants by Louis the XIV, and the horrible treatment of Catholics in Ireland reflect this mutual dislike. Until recently Northern Ireland reflected age old animosities between two Christian groups.

 

Specific Catholics Anti-Semitic Actions against Jews

1. Crusades. On their way to the Holy Land, Crusaders killed possibly hundreds of thousands of Jews. The desire to retake the Holy Land and expel the Muslim rulers had dire consequences for the Jewish inhabitants of Europe.

2. Inquisition: the inquisition which began in Spain ultimately led to the death of thousands of Jews in Spain, Portugal and even the New World. Jews were expelled from Spain. Many “converted Jews” were subsequently burned at the stake because they were suspected of carrying on the Jewish traditions. Many scholars believe that the expulsion of Jews and Muslim from Spain undermined that country’s ability to leverage their New World conquests. Both Jews and Muslims contributed significantly to the cultural and business community of Spain.

3. Ghettos: Starting in Venice, Jews were ultimately forced to live in isolation throughout most of Europe. Jews were forced to sleep in the Ghettos at night. They were allowed to leave the ghetto only in the daytime. Jews lived under “Jewish Law” rather than the community’s laws. Over time, the ghettos became very unhealthy due to crowding. That is, as the Jewish population grew, they still had to live in the original Ghetto Area. 

 

Starting with the French Revolution, the restriction on Jews living quarters were lifted in the West. They remained in the East—Poland, Ukraine, Russia, etc.

 

1. The anti-Semitic references in official Church doctrine led to widespread antipathy toward Jews. At the core, all Jews were accused of killing Christ. Unless Jews converted, they were sinful.

2. The holocaust was a natural consequence. Hitler and his followers combined historic Catholic writings and their added racial profiling to promote the denigrations and ultimate killing of 6 million Jews. In large part, the Catholic hierarchy said nothing during this period. They were anxious to survive alongside the Nazis which was very difficult. That is, Hitler had very strong anti-Catholic views. 

3. The Role of Pope Pius the XII remains controversial. These are the different viewpoints. Pius’s defenders say that privately he saved thousands of Jewish lives. At the opposite extreme, Pius’s antagonists point out that he was silent even when Jews were rounded up at the Rome ghetto which is only several hundred yards from the Vatican and at Notre Dame. There is overwhelming proof that the Vatican knew in detail about the atrocities and yet remained silent. Also, Catholic monasteries and Church leaders protected Nazis even after World War II. Thus, Jews felt that the vicious anti-Semitism during the 1930’s and 1940’s was attributable in large part to Catholic teaching. (Martin Luther was also a vicious anti-Semite. His resentment stemmed from his anger that Jews would not convert to Protesantism).

 

Happy Ending: Starting with John XXIII and the Vatican II the Church made a complete about face. The Church officially said that Jews had not killed Christ, that present days Jews were not liable for Jesus’s death and anti-Semitic tracts were eliminated from official Christian theological textbooks. Aside from the Pope and key Western Cardinals, the American Catholic Church were leaders in the new ecumenical spirit.

 

John Paul II carried on John XXIII wonderful works. He attended a Jewish synagogue’s services, openly kept many Jewish friends, and visited the Holy Land. Also, sometime in the 1970’s the Church recognized the State of Israel. Until that time, the Church felt that Jews were not entitled to return to their homeland and create a Jewish State.

 

Fortunately, the era of good feelings between the two religions continues to improve. Today, Catholics attend Passover Services. That is Passover was Jesus’s last Supper—something that was not openly conveyed or “hidden” until recently. 

 

Also, the acknowledgement that the Jews have a right to practice their religion and Judaism is no longer a heresy has made monumental differences in the relationship between the two religions.